Psalms 18

I love you, God - you make me strong. God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight. My God - the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout. I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty, and find myself safe and saved. The hangman's noose was tight at my throat; devil waters rushed over me. Hell's ropes cinched me tight; death traps barred every exit. A hostile world! I call to God, I cry to God to help me. From his palace he hears my call; my cry brings me right into his presence - a private audience! Earth wobbles and lurches; huge mountains shake like leaves, Quake like aspen leaves because of his rage. His nostrils flare, bellowing smoke; his mouth spits fire. Tongues of fire dart in and out; he lowers the sky. He steps down; under his feet an abyss opens up. He's riding a winged creature, swift on wind-wings. Now he's wrapped himself in a trench coat of black-cloud darkness. But his cloud-brightness bursts through, spraying hailstones and fireballs. Then God thundered out of heaven; the High God gave a great shout, spraying hailstones and fireballs. God shoots his arrows - pandemonium! He hurls his lightnings - a rout! The secret sources of ocean are exposed, the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered The moment you roar in protest, let loose your hurricane anger. But me he caught - reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved - surprised to be loved! God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I'm alert to God's ways; I don't take God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I'm watching my step. God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes. The good people taste your goodness, The whole people taste your health, The true people taste your truth, The bad ones can't figure you out. You take the side of the down-and-out, But the stuck-up you take down a peg. Suddenly, God, you floodlight my life; I'm blazing with glory, God's glory! I smash the bands of marauders, I vault the highest fences. What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every God-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward him Makes it. Is there any god like God? Are we not at bedrock? Is not this the God who armed me, then aimed me in the right direction? Now I run like a deer; I'm king of the mountain. He shows me how to fight; I can bend a bronze bow! You protect me with salvation-armor; you hold me up with a firm hand, caress me with your gentle ways. You cleared the ground under me so my footing was firm. When I chased my enemies I caught them; I didn't let go till they were dead men. I nailed them; they were down for good; then I walked all over them. You armed me well for this fight, you smashed the upstarts. You made my enemies turn tail, and I wiped out the haters. They cried "uncle" but Uncle didn't come; They yelled for God and got no for an answer. I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind. I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter. You rescued me from a squabbling people; you made me a leader of nations. People I'd never heard of served me; the moment they got wind of me they listened. They came on their bellies, crawling from their hideouts. Live, God! Blessings from my Rock, my free and freeing God, towering! This God set things right for me and shut up the people who talked back. He rescued me from enemy anger, he pulled me from the grip of upstarts, He saved me from the bullies. That's why I'm thanking you, God, all over the world. That's why I'm singing songs that rhyme your name. God's king takes the trophy; God's chosen is beloved. I mean David and all his children - always.

Just A Few Notes

I don't really have any huge topic that I have been thinking about lately, just a few random thoughts that I have been thinking about, so bear with me.

1. Beth always says that everything relates to poop. And while that seems like an eeewwwyy weird concept, I'm beginning to see the truth of it. For instance: Poop, is one of those things we all experience. Most people have experienced the different side effects of the pooping process, and so therefore we can relate to each other in that way. Still, you don't normally, unless your oldest sister is my oldest sister, have conversations about your poop mishaps because even if the person has been through the same thing, its unpleasant to talk about. Well sometimes I think that is the way it is with the stuff I wish I could talk to people about. Not that what I want to talk about with people is gross in the same way, it just stuff you don't talk to with people because it sucks to talk about such things. I guess this can be misconstrued, so let me explain a little further. Its more like, frustrations with decisions that you can't talk about because they are a part of most people's lives. Poop topics, if you will.

2. A person's heart. The thing that is the command center of the emotional part of the being, right? But really just a muscle mass in charge of pumping our blood. When I envision the heart, I envision this workaholic organ who never gets to stop. I've had my share of workaholic people, and these are not the ones I want to be in control of my love life. Aside from that, thinking, and feeling doesn't come from the heart, but another section of our brain, which means that our brain is a living contradiction. Or maybe its just balanced/tried to be balanced. And, perhaps this is the reason opposites attract. I mean, our brain seems to be working out.

3. The only this else I have to say would be considered a poop topic. Which I hate.

Oh, and I'll add a picture for you guys, because you have earned it, I think.

I love light sculptures....

I'm Finding Out True Love is Blind

I apologize to my three followers for not being better at blogging. If I'm honest, writing just doesn't come naturally. I've always been open with people in person, but lately even that has been declining. I have desperately tried to let my college professors know that I'm not shy, I just don't have a lot to say. Seriously, is there something wrong with not wanting to say much? In high school I was adored by all my teachers for my silence, this is not the case in college. I really started thinking about it when I met a girl who talked as a sort of nervous habit. She was constantly babbling about random stuff as if by doing so I was more likely to relate with her. Sometimes I feel like talking is what we have to do to be socially acceptable. People can't stand what they label as "awkward silence". They turn on t.v.'s when no one is home and look down at their cell phones if no one comes to talk to them at a party. I don't want it to be like that. I want words to be meaningful, so when someone opens their mouth to say something people want to listen, and learn. Words are spewed out like they don't have any meaning, and I guess it makes people forget how powerful they can be. The very fact that words are so overused it a testament to just how much impact they do have. People can get noticed for their creativity, profoundness, hilarity, whatever- and so anyone will regurgitate anything in hopes for some kind of social reward. Which brings me to what I have really been thinking about lately, to some small degree I wish people wouldn't have encouraged me. I don't literally wish this of course, but I believe it to be the source of one of my biggest struggles as of now, which is deciding what I should do with my life. I think all this time I have mistaken talent for passion. Anytime I was good at something I believed that I was what I should do as my career. However, nothing that I have been good at has been the thing I long for a career in. People always say "do what you love most", but what I thought I loved most, I really loved for the praise and attention it won me.

This is why I am glad God lead me to lead the girls Bible study on Sunday nights. Because through it I have realized what it is I love to do most, and that is teach people about God's desire for them. There is nothing more thrilling and fulfilling than when I am able to do that. So now I just have to figure out a way to turn that into a career. I am still partially stuck, but at least now I have realized my passion, and hopefully can continue to see past the distortions of attention that my humanness so strongly craves.

Any suggestions?